THE ASSIGNMENT
Client: Philadelphia Magazine
Spend the day with a second generation owner-operator of a Mister Softee franchise to mark the 65 anniversary of the beloved summer treat.
THE STRATEGY
This was a straightforward documentation of the day in classic photojournalistic style. I don't do a ton of this sort of classic small-town storytelling too much these days - even if I do bring the heart of this kind of work to my commercial commissions - but it was a great reminder of the value of keeping things simple and straightforward. Keeping the storytelling classic gets us emotionally connected with the warm nostalgia and childhood joy of the best part of any summer's day, hearing and catching the ice cream man.
And instead of just presenting this as a series of images, the nostalgia played into my photojournalism background and I just had to do a classic magazine-style layout when getting space in a magazine or newspaper was the most precious and valuable thrill of any photojournalist's day.